The BJP on Thursday said the party-ruled states would take a call on the revision of taxes in the wake of Rs 7-plus hike in petrol prices which came into effect from midnight today. The BJP, on the other hand, squarely blamed the Congress led UPA government for the hefty price rise in petrol and said that considering the present financial position of states, the revision in taxes be left to them. For every one rupee paid for petrol almost 40 paisa is state taxes.
The BJP's reaction comes in the wake of Congress call to its party ruled-states to cut taxes. Subsequently, Kerala and Uttarakhand responded positively by cutting states taxes. Petrol would now be Rs 1.63 cheaper in Kerala and Rs 1.87 cheaper in Uttarakhand.
BJP spokeman Ravi Shankar Prasad squarely blamed the Congress led government for the present situation saying that it had created problems and put people through a great deal of hardship. "There are multiple solutions the BJP has to offer. The government has created problems and wants states to respond. You know the present financial conditions of the states. They will take call on cutting state taxes on petrol," he noted.
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Earlier, the party claimed that the rise in petrol prices would create further miseries and discomfort to the people of the country who are already suffering great difficulty because of severe price rise which was going unabated under the UPA government.
Former deputy Prime Minister and NDA chairman L K Advani said that the government has completely run out of ideas as far as management of inflation particularly food inflation was considered. In the history of the country, there has never ben such a steep rise on a single day in the price of petrol. The gross mismanagementof economy by the UPA was significantly responsible for this and the comman man was going to be the biggest sufferer.